The coronavirus pandemic is testing the limits of UK businesses, but many organisations have identified a valuable collaboration tool, allowing them to continue their business operations without interruption. With increasing numbers of staff now working remotely, conference call technology has become a vital line of communication. So, if you are left wondering, ‘what is a conference call?’ this article will help to identify what it is, how it works and why implementing teleconferencing could enable improvements in your business operations.
What is a conference call?
A conference call is a telephone call, connecting multiple participants at the same time. Also known as a teleconference, this type of call can be made on a landline, mobile, or via an internet connection and enables participants to attend a meeting even if it isn’t physically possible to get to the same location.
Video conferencing allows participants to communicate with each other by transmitting both audio and video data and is a widely adopted solution for effective business communication in today’s economy.
Many companies use conference calls as a meeting tool or to distribute information to several employees at the same time.
How does conference call technology work?
Conference calls often connect people through a conference bridge, allowing the user to connect to the teleconference. A conference bridge allows participants to call a centralised number to join a meeting, which connects multiple phone lines simultaneously. A company can have its own bridge or use a service provider conference call hosting.
Many newer conference call providers have switched to online services, where you can call people and add them to the conversation. Companies using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephones can also host conference calls themselves if the VoIP software supports them.
Conference calls allow users from various locations to interact with each other just like in a face-to-face meeting if they have a computer, a web camera, headset, a phone line, internet connection and a conferencing service.
What are the benefits of conference calling?
Conference call services are a valuable collaborative tool for bringing groups of people together in real-time communication and the use of these services are hugely beneficial for businesses, regardless of your business size. Conference calling offers a host of timesaving and cost-cutting benefits:
Cost-effective solution
The variety of services on offer are generally low-cost, offering businesses a financially sustainable way to facilitate business communications.
Reduced travel expenses
Reducing the need for face-to-face meetings can allow businesses to reduce travel expenses. Meetings have a variety of expenses including venue hire, food expenses and travel costs, so by facilitating these meetings online, you can significantly reduce corporate travel and the associated meeting costs.
Highly accessible
Conference calling is widely accessible, and calls can be scheduled from anywhere, at any time of the day, even outside of office hours. This allows businesses to schedule last-minute calls without the added stress of confirming a venue and for staff to work more flexibly around other commitments.
Drive efficiency
Having access to conference call technology can be a great asset when decisions need to be made quickly or to resolve an urgent business issue that requires the input of several people.
Environmentally friendly
Swapping face-to-face meetings with an online meeting or conference call means no travelling to locations or staff commuting to the offices. Conference Calling can drastically decrease the carbon footprint of a business by reducing the need to travel. Implementing video conferencing in a business can improve your green credentials by reducing the amount of paper used in meetings and encouraging online agendas.
Conference calling is one of the most cost-effective means of business communication because of the real-time interactions, reduction in time and travel costs and the facilitation of faster decision making.
